Healthcare Coverage on a $0 Contract: How the Dodgers Are Demonstrating Empathy in (And Out Of) The Workplace

HR leaders should take a swing at the Dodgers’ approach: tuning into their team’s needs, mastering the art of support, and making sure everyone feels like an MVP in the workplace.

There are many reasons to need support at work. From helping employees tend to physical injuries to supporting their mental health, it’s important for employers to prioritize the health of their employees.

In fact, I want to challenge any skeptical employers out there who think the whole “empathetic employer” concept doesn’t work. It does. It really does.

Not only that. It can end up having a positive impact on your staff’s loyalty and how the world perceives your brand, too.

The Dodgers Highlight the Need for Empathetic Employers

In 2019, LA Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles didn’t show up for spring training. A year later, news broke that Toles was homeless and had been arrested for trespassing. Reports also clarified that Toles had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

The diagnosis was serious. The young man was still in his mid-twenties, and yet his father and caretaker said that his condition was so severe that Toles couldn’t even watch television without hearing voices. He didn’t even think his son could fully understand the game of baseball anymore.

Toles’s fight for his mental health has dragged on for half a decade at this point, and Sports Illustrated recently shed light on the reason he has been able to receive such consistent medical support despite his inability to play baseball. His previous employer, the LA Dodgers, is still paying for his health insurance.

In fact, “previous employer” is the wrong wording. The organization is still employing Toles. They don’t pay his salary (the contract is for precisely $0) but have signed him to a contract every year since he stepped back from the game to prevent his healthcare coverage from relapsing.

Why Empathy and Best Practices in HR Matters

The Dodgers have quietly remained committed to renewing Toles’ contract for years now. However, the move was recently highlighted in the press and met with praise by Dodgers fans and even those who don’t follow or care about baseball at all.

This showcases how powerful an honest, selfless, and empathetic move, even by a “cold-hearted” and calculating front office, can be. By supporting Toles’s treatment, the Dodgers’ top brass signaled to people everywhere that they see their players as human beings — not just a way to sell tickets and jerseys.

“By supporting Toles’s treatment, the Dodgers’ top brass signaled to people everywhere that they see their players as human beings — not just a way to sell tickets and jerseys.”

At Stanton Chase — and especially in our LA office, where the Dodgers are a hot topic — we know what it takes to run an effective HR department. You can’t just streamline paperwork and conduct effective training sessions. Everyone from HR reps to CHROs must be able to demonstrate empathy and showcase compassion.

Does this have to happen within the confines of budgetary restraints and business goals? Of course. And I’m not saying everyone needs to maintain every past employee’s healthcare indefinitely to be a good employer.

However, if businesses want to retain loyal, productive employees, they must reflect that same commitment and care back toward their staffers. C-suite officers, in particular, must create best practices and cultivate workplace ethics. These must reflect empathy, care, and at times, even unique levels of support for every worker that walks through their doors, no matter what health battles, circumstantial crises, or inner demons they may face over time.

About the Author

William Brewer, CCP, is a Director at Stanton Chase Los Angeles. He is also Stanton Chase’s Global Human Resources Practice Leader. Prior to moving into executive search, Bill had 25 years of experience in corporate human resources. In addition to his executive search career, Bill is an adjunct Professor at the University of Redlands. Bill also serves as a mentor for the MBA program at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and has been a mentor with the School of Business at the University of Redlands.

Click here to learn more about Bill.